Doctor turned stand-up comic Michael Akadiri’s show is, at least on paper, based on one familiar complaint: the dread of growing old – at least in other people’s eyes.
But as Akadiri says at one point in the show, you shouldn’t believe everything you read. While it is bookended by two anecdotes about being referred to as ‘uncle’ – a term for a community elder, which at 34 Akadiri feels is a tad premature – the show veers frequently veers off into other territory.
For the most part he gets away with it, with an engaging personality and a stage presence that – even with slow delivery at times – keeps you hanging on for the next word.
Aside from his own ageing, Akadiri frequently returns to his experiences in medicine, which is clearly appreciated by a large NHS contingent in the audience. It is where he seems most comfortable; a routine about his wife’s fear of ducks has a nice twist, but meanders without the same purpose as his medical material.
The result is a show that has some good gags but never quite manages to build the occasional titters into really big laughs: it all feels a bit staccato.
It was however, mellifluous compared to support act Emmanuel O. Opening is always a tough ask, but blaming a lack of reaction on the audience rarely makes it easier. Observational comedy relies on shared experiences and perhaps Mancunians really do have a habit of putting their nostrils in your ear – but it’s not the most relatable material for a gig in Norfolk.
- Michael Akadiri was at Norwich Theatre Stage Two on 26 September 2026. Touring nationally including Cambridge Junction on 28 November on Colchester Arts Centre on 24 February 2027.